Range-transmitter.



J. L. HALL.

RANGE TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED we. 7, 1908.

Patented J an 1 Z SHEET!- I J L /n ven tor: J0/7 Witnesses:

yum MW UMW J. L. HALL.

RANGE TRANSMITTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 190a.

Patented Jan. 11,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I so W/Znesses:

5377 m VBTTLOR' "John L Hall,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. HALL, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RANGE-TRANSMITTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

Application filed August 7, 1908. Serial No. 447,357.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Range-Transmitters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric signaling, and its object is to enable an oflicer on the bridge of a warship to transmit to the oflicer in charge of a turret or gundeck the range of a distant object, such as a target, a vessel, a fortification or the like.

The invention consists in a transmitter adapted to operate in conjunction with an indicator at the receiving station comprising a group of lamps, annunciator drops or other equivalent indicatin devices.

Ranges are usually calculated in yards and may vary by increments of 50 yards, that as a rule being close enough for accurate gun-work. The transmitter hereinafter set forth is arranged to communicate ranges from 50 yards up to 9,950 yards, by intervals of 50 yards. It consists of a double column of push-button switches, one for the hundreds of yards, and the other for the thousands. Additional buttons provide respectively for the fifty yard interval, the release of all the buttons, the signals to begin firing and to cease firing, and any others which may be necessary or desirable. The mechanism is so arranged that the depression of any button in either column releases any other in that column which has been previously depressed, while the depression of any button in the thousands column also releases every other depressed button in the hundreds column including the 50 yard button. The fifty yard button can be set after the depression of any other button or buttons without releasing them, but it is itself released by depressing any button in either column. The release button releases all depressed buttons in both columns and also the fifty yard button. The begin and cease buttons do not affect any of the others, but each releases the other. The stems of all the buttons are made in two abutting but disconnected sections, and the outer sections are all mounted in a removable cover for the casing in which the rest of the apparatus is contained, so that by taking off the cover, the lower parts of the buttons,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved transmitter; Fig 2 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation; Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line at 4:, Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a partial cross-section on the line 5 5, Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the begin and cease buttons, and Fig. 7 shows a button depressed and locked.

The casing 1 is a tall rectangular box having a removable lid or cover 2 suitably fastened in place, as by screws 3. The box contains a false back or bedplate 4c of insulating material, preferably supported on shoulders 5 a little distance from the back of the box. A longitudinal metallic bar 6 is secured to said bedplate, containing near each side a plurality of sockets drilled in from the back of said bar and extending nearly to the front thereof. In each socket is housed a plunger 7, preferably cupped to retain one end of a compression spring 8, whose other end is suitably secured to a plate 9 covering the rear ends of the sockets. The plunger carries a transverse contact pin 10 which projects at one side through a longitudinal slot 11 in the wall of the socket and cooperates with a contact finger 12 secured to the bed plate a adjacent to the bar 6. A binding post 13 is located adjacent to the finger and is electrically connected therewith by a link 14. A lead 15 runs from said binding post down through a hole in the lower end of the box and into a conduit 16 in which all the conductors are grouped in a cable. A common return conductor 17 is connected with the bar 6 and hence with all the plungers and contact pins. Each lead 15 runs to a corresponding lamp, annunciator drop or other indicator, the transmitter being located on the bridge, and the annunciator at the turret or gun deck. Whenever a plunger is depressed and the circuit closed between the pin 10 and the finger 12 the corresponding indication is given by said annunciator.

Each plunger has a head 18 extending through a hole in the front of the bar, said hole being smaller than the socket so that the shoulder between said head and the body of the plunger being pressed by the spring 8 against the outer end of the socket limits the ()11t\ ard movement of said plunger.

In the lid 2 are two rows of holes registering with the plungers 7, and in each hole is slidably mounted the stem 19 of a pushbutton 20. Suitable provision is made to keep said stems from turning; preferably they are slightly flattened and confined between transverse blocks 21 secured to the inside of the lid. Each stem carries at its inner end an insulating pad which rests against the head 18 of its plunger. The outer faces of the push-buttons are appro priately marked with numbers and words, as shown in Fig. 1.

V hen a push-button is pressed in to close the circuit of a given lamp, annunciator drop, or other indicator, it must be locked in place to relieve the operator from the necessity of holding it against the tension of the spriiig 8. Provision is also necessary to prevent more than one button in each column from ren'iaining depressed at a time. The mechanism for effecting these results will now be described.

A. rock-shaft 23 is journaled in bearings 24 on the lid 2 adjacent to the hundreds column of buttons, and a similar shaft 25 ad jacent to the thousands column. On each shaft is secured a plurality of pawls or catches 26 adapted to engage with shoulders 27 on the stems of the buttons when the latter are depressed. Below said shoulders are swells 28 by means of which the shaft will be rocked when a stem is depressed and said swell is forced past the catch. Opposite rock-arms 29 on said shafts are connected by a tension spring 30 so that the catches are constantly urged against said stems ready to spring back into engagement with said shoulders after the swells have past. The shaft 23 carries also an arm 31 and the shaft 25 an arm 32, which overlaps the arm 31, as clearly shown in Fig.

The foregoing description applies to the buttons numbered from 100 to 900 and from 1000 to 9000 in Fig. 1. For the button numbered 50 the locking device is somewhat different, being shown in Fig. 4. The catch 33 is loosely pivoted on the shaft 23, and is urged against its stem by a light spring 34: attached to a tail 35 on said catch and to an arm 36 secured to said shaft. A lug 37 on said arm bears against the inside of said tail.

The plunger of the release button 38 has no contact pin, as shown in Fig. 4, its function being merely to rock the shaft 25 and thus release all the buttons.

The cease and begin buttons 39, 10 are not connected with the shafts 23. 25, but their catches 11 are independently pivoted on short shafts which have arms 42 connected by a tension spring 48. The shafts are geared together, preferably by arms 44 which have a pin and slot connection l5, l0, so that the depression of either button 2'35 &0 will rock both shafts and withdraw both the catches -'l-1.

The operation is as follows: Suppose the range is found to be 1800 yards. The operator depresses the button marked 1000". The swell 28 on the stem 15) of said buton forces back the catch 20. rocking the shaft 25 outward. and by means of the arm 32 overlapping the arm 31 this shaft also rocks the shaft 23 outward. as soon as the swell passes the catch. the spring 30 rocks the shafts in again and the catch engages shoulder 27 above the swell and locks the button. The operator then de n'esses the button marked H00 which becomes locked by its catch. but inasmuch as the arm 31 on the shaft 23 lies underneath the arm 32 on the shaft the rocking of the shaft .223 does not affect the shaft and. therefore. the depression of the 800 button does not release the 1000 button. The depression of these buttons closes their contact pins 10 upon the corresponding fingers and operates the indicator lamps or drops at the receiving station. Now assume that the range changes to 4850 yards. The operator pushes in the button marked 50" which closes the circuit of its indicator at the receiving station. fi'iasrnuch as the catch 33 for the 50 button is loose on the shaft 23. said shaft is not rocked when the button is pushed in, the spring- 3 1- being so light that its tension is insufficient to rock the arm 30 against the tension of the spring 30. Now assume that the operator wishes to signal an increase of range to 4:000 yards. He simply depresses the button 900, which, as it moves inward, rocks the shaft: 23. thereby releasing the 800 and the 50 buttons which are instantly thrown out by their springs S; the pin 000 being locked by its catch when it l is been pushed home. In like manner, it the operator wishes to change the indication to .7000 yards, he merely pushes in the button so marked, which by its swell will rock the shaft 25 and release the 4000 button. and through the arms 31. 32 will also release the 900 button. The release" button. by acting on the shaft 25. operates to release all other depressed buttons. The bcgin tiring and cease firing buttons are independent of the range buttons. but their in tGICOUHGCtlOD insures that if one of them has been depressed it will be positively released when the other is depressed.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States. is:

1. An electric transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons arranged in columns, means for locking each button when depressed, means for releasing all the buttons in one column only when any one button in said column is depressed, and means for releasing all the buttons in all the columns when any button in a given colunm is depressed.

2. An electric transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons arranged in columns, a catch for locking each button when depressed, means for releasing all the catches in one column only when any button in said column is depressed, and means for releasing the catches of all the buttons in all the columns when any button in a given column is depressed.

8. An electric transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons arranged in col umns, a catch for locking each button when depressed, a shaft adjacent to each column and carrying all the catches for said column, means for rocking each shaft when any button in its column is depressed, and means for rocking both shafts when any button in a given column is depressed.

4. An electric transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons arranged in columns, a catch for locking each button when depressed, a shaftadjacent to each column and carrying all the catches for said column, means for rocking each shaft when any button in its column is depressed, and arms on said shafts, one overlapping the other.

5. An electric transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons, means for locking each button when depressed, means for releasing all of said buttons when any one of them is depressed, a button having a locking device which locks said button independently of the other buttons, and means for releasing said locking device when any of said other buttons is depressed.

(3. An electric transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons. catches for looking said buttons when depressed, a shaftcarrying said catches, means for rocking said shaft when any button is depressed, a button having a catch independent of said shaft, and an arm on said shaft adjacentto said catch and adapted to actuate the same when said shaft is rocked.

7. An elect 'ic range transmitter comprising a plurality of push-buttons arranged in two columns, one for hundreds of yards and one for thousands, means for locking said buttons when depressed, means whereby the depression of a hundreds button releases all others in that column, means whereby the depression of a thousands button releases all others in both columns, a fifty yards button, means for locking it independently of the others. and means for releasing it when a ny other button is depressed.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of August, 1908.

JOHN L. HALL. Witnesses HELEN Onronn, BENJAMIN B. HULL. 

